The Born of Jamhuri Celebrations
In 1963 Kenya gained internal self-rule on 1 June. Today this day is also marked with a national public holiday called Madaraka Day. A year and six months after gaining self-rule, Kenya officially became a republic on the 12th of December 1964. Today this day is known as Jamhuri (Republic) Day or Independence Day.
The holiday, which gets its name from the Swahili word ‘jamhuri’ (which means "republic"), officially commemorates the nation's admission into the Commonwealth as a republic in 1964. December 12 is also the date Kenya gained its independence from Great Britain in 1963. Jamhuri Day is observed on December 12, 2022, a Monday.
Because Jamhuri Day is so important historically, almost every Kenyan observes the occasion in some way. Feasts, speeches on politics, parades, and dancing are all part of celebrations.
Kenya had been governed by the British since the late 19th century, and it became a British colony in 1920. African demands for a bigger say in politics were resisted by the colonial government, and a member of the African race did not enter the colony's assembly until 1944. However, disputes over land and cultural practices persisted, and the movement against colonial rule developed. This culminated in the 1950s Mau Mau uprisings, which put the nation in a state of emergency for most of the decade. As a result of the upheavals, Africans received certain social and economic benefits, and African political engagement rose in the early 1960s. Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963, and Jomo Kenyatta was elected president a year later.
And ever since Kenya has celebrated the same and this year’s will be the 59th.
